August 13, 2003: LOS ANGELES – A photographer was charged today with attempting to extort $3.3 million from Cameron Diaz in connection with photos taken of the actress several years before her film career skyrocketed, the District Attorney’s office announced.
John Rutter, who turned 41 on Tuesday, the day he was arrested by District Attorney’s investigators at his Venice apartment, is being held on $250,000 bail at the Los Angeles County Jail. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Los Angeles Superior Court Division 30.
Rutter is charged in case No. BA 251817 with one count each of attempted extortion, attempted grand theft and perjury, and two counts of forgery. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum term of six years in state prison.
The attempted extortion and grand theft counts name Diaz as a victim and alleged the crimes occurred on June 23 of this year. The attempted grand theft count alleges an amount of $3.3 million.
One of the forgery counts alleged the crime occurred on Aug. 22 and involved forging the handwriting of another. The second count alleged the crime occurred on June 23 and involved a purported forged model release of Diaz.
The perjury count alleged the crime occurred on July 16 and involved the purported forged model release dated May 30, 1992.
The case was investigated by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, which presented the evidence to the Major Crimes Division. Deputy District Attorney Douglas Sortino filed the case.
Associated Press: A photographer who took reportedly topless pictures of Cameron Diaz 10 years ago has been charged for trying to extort more than $3 million from the film star.
John Rutter was arrested Wednesday at his Venice, Calif., apartment, and charged with one count each of attempted extortion, grand theft, perjury and two counts of forgery.
A legal battle was launched last month between Diaz and the photographer, when issued a statement to the syndicated television program “Inside Edition” that he had contacted Diaz’s lawyers to offer the photos to them before he sold them to any media outlets.
Diaz, in turn, requested an injunction to stop the release of the pictures that were taken at a private modeling session when she was 21. Not long after, she was achieved stardom with roles in films like “”The Mask,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “There’s Something About Mary.”
Santa Monica, Calif., Superior Court Judge Alan Haber ordered the photos and a videotape Diaz sealed last week, and set a Sept. 12 court hearing for her request for an injunction against Rutter.
A publicist for the “Charlie’s Angels” star denies she ever signed a photo release and says a release Rutter has is a forgery.